“For I, says the Lord, will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.” Zechariah 2:5

The last post I talked about the call and the significance of walking in that call. My greatest call is that of being a mom and nana. I was born to be a mom. I loved being a mom. Until my youngest went to kindergarten I was a stay-at-home mom. When my youngest entered kindergarten, I was then introduced to Operation Christmas Child. I began volunteering in the ministry full time. My responsibilities as a mom we’re definitely still there but the load lessened a lot. It freed me up to step into the call of ministry. I have been involved with the ministry for twenty three years. 

I am a nana now with six grandchildren. A friend of mine who was never married, so she does not have children or grandchildren said it best. She told me one day, “Dianna I have figured it out. You love your children but you’re in love with your grandchildren.” She could not be more right. I cannot let a week go by without spending time with my grandchildren. I am so blessed to have all but one live very close to me.

I will be turning sixty this December. There’s one thing I’ve learned in life. Many little and big things I would not have chosen or planned for my life. It took me a long time to realize that when I accepted Christ as my Savior these two verses had to become a reality and number one priority. 

Galatians 5:20 “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways; declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

I had to learn repeatedly to let it go! I also learned that when I did let it go and settled into what He had for me it was always beautiful and much better than anything I could have planned. It’s like you’re on a constant adventure with Him. One thing for sure I never would have planned on being divorced. But this I know to be true, all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose Romans 8:28. I also learned when I chose to let it go I would grow, mature and become more like Him. During these times I can remember saying over and over again, “Don’t let this be for nothing.” Of course it wasn’t. It changed me and made me who I am today, a better person. It also gives me the opportunity to share and help others as they go through trials.

As I was heading for a divorce I said to the Lord, “I do not want to just survive but I want to thrive.” Divorce is not my story. It’s only a chapter in my book, literally. I was divorced at the age of fifty. Interestingly, fifty means, year of jubilee. The greatest moment of your life can occur when everything seems finished for you. At the time of my divorce I was threatened with destitution. I would have no car, no home and no money. Because of the very abusive situation that I was in I was okay with that and willing to walk away with nothing just to be free. But the Lord stepped in and did a miracle that I had nothing to do with making it happen. Instead of destitution He gave me a car and I received the home (with the debt). I also got child support and alimony for a short time. It took a year of working 7 days a week to get my feet fully planted underneath me. I was able to maintain a strong feeling of security in Him knowing that he had not left me. I felt like I was in a spiritual bubble of absolute protection of His presence that first year of being single. It was the strongest manifested feeling of His presence I have ever felt in my life. I did not want it to end. He answered my prayer to not only survive but to thrive. What I am about to share with you next is an expansion of the call that God had and still has on my life. Everything you’re going to read I physically, financially and mentally could not do myself. I can take credit for none of it. The only thing that I can take credit for is that I obeyed. I fully surrendered myself to Him and allowed Him to come in and have His good perfect will and way in my life. The next part is all about bragging on who He is and what He does when we fully surrender. Here are the last 10 years of my life. The following is all by His direction and leading.

The first thing I was led to do was finish my basement off so that I could have tenants to help supply my income. He brought the money, time and laborers to complete the task. In the ten years I have taken in eight single women who needed a place to go. My home is a place of comfort, peace and rest. Each one of these ladies needed that place to land for a season. God would then move them back out into their next adventure. Each one of the ladies that he sent me were precious, beautiful, Godly women. Each one impacted my life significantly. For that I am so thankful. 

Once the basement was finished He then directed me to finish the second story of my home. It was just to the studs at the time of the divorce. That would become my bedroom and bathroom because the main floor was now going to house Chinese students. Over several years I took in seven Chinese students. Interestingly, the number seven means complete. I am so excited to say two of them accepted the Lord as their Savior while staying with me.

Next the Lord had me take in and take care of my parents for a year and a half as my dad was declining. It was a perfect place of peace and comfort for both of them. After a year and a half my brother retired and he took my parents back into their own home where my father got his wish to be able to be in his own home when he passed. 

After my father passed away I took my mother in and she is still living with me now. My mom is thriving at the age of ninety. Every day for hours she sews dresses and bags for Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. That is the call on her life right now. My mom lives to sew. It brings her such joy. Even at ninety the Lord can use you mightily!! 

Once my parents moved out and before my mom came back to live with me I created an Airbnb in the master bedroom where they once stayed. I did it for one summer before my mom came back. I was afraid and concerned about having complete strangers coming to my home everyday. I had several friends who were already operating an Airbnb in their home. I was very thankful that I had the opportunity to talk to them about their experience. All of them had a very good experience. They were very helpful in giving me ideas on running my own and they encouraged me to move forward. I also had a very good experience. I enjoyed meeting people from literally around the world. It was a very good income for that summer. 

The next endeavor the Lord asked me to do was get my 30X40 pole barn ready so that we could work year round inside packing shoeboxes. It needed insulation and a furnace. But before that could be done I had to take down a lot of shelving that was currently there. My pole barn is now finished and we are packing 5,000 shoeboxes a year in there. 

The Lord next laid on my heart to start a lavender farm. He miraculously brought me fifty two  plants. The number fifty two means God did it. I called the farm Elohim lavender. All the money goes towards the ministry of Operation Christmas Child. 

I wrote two books. The titles are, Totally Surrendered and Completely His and Abundant Life. The Lord has now called me to do this blog instead of writing books. My prayer for the books and the blog is to share who He is, what He does and what you will receive when you live a surrendered life. What you will receive is an abundant life. I also pray you will be very encouraged in your walk with Him.

The last thing I want to share is that for the last seven years I have worked a part-time job  managing a resale store that my church owns. In the last six years I have not taken a paycheck. All of the hours that I work the money goes directly to the ministry of Operation Christmas Child. My only income is the rent from my home. He has been so good, faithful and kind to me. I have never missed a bill and I am completely debt-free. Only He can do such a thing. The whole reason I am sharing all of this with you is to say it is never too late and you are never too old to start walking fully in the call God has on your life. All the things that you just read are what He can and will do through you when you fully surrender. I want to emphasize again all of this I could not physically, financially or mentally do. It was impossible. I take credit for none of it. He receives the glory for all of it. I want to encourage you to fully surrender today and begin to walk in all that He has for you.

The Best Is Yet To Come!